colonial society, dissension, and the african slave trade

Chesapeake Colonies

Refers to the regions of Virginia and Maryland which were the first colonies to prosper in the British North American colonies, primarily due to tobacco cultivation.

Virginia House of Burgesses

The first elected representative government in the New World, established in Virginia.

Bicameral Legislature

A legislative body consisting of two chambers or houses.

Royal Colony

A colony administered by officials appointed by and responsible to the crown.

Proprietary Colony

A colony granted by the British crown to an individual or group, who would have full governing rights.

Act of Religious Toleration

A law passed in Maryland that established religious toleration between Protestants and Catholics but applied only to Christians.

Indentured Servants

Laborers who agreed to work without pay for a certain period in exchange for passage to America.

Bacon's Rebellion

A 1676 revolt in Virginia led by Nathaniel Bacon against the royal governor William Berkeley's policies.

Chattel Slavery

A form of slavery in which individuals are treated as personal property to be bought, sold, or owned.

Puritans

English Protestants who aimed to purify the Church of England from within, believing it was too similar to Catholicism.

Massachusetts Bay Colony

A colony founded by Puritans in 1629 that emphasized religious conformity and community.

Roger Williams

A dissenter who advocated for religious toleration and the separation of church and state; founded Providence, Rhode Island.

Anne Hutchinson

A Puritan dissenter who challenged gender roles and religious authority, leading to her exile from Massachusetts.

Pequot War

A conflict in 1637 between Puritan settlers and the Pequot tribe in Connecticut, resulting in significant Native American casualties.

King Philip's War

A conflict from 1675 to 1676, also caused by land encroachment, led by Metacom (King Philip) against Puritan settlers.

Salem Witch Trials

A series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in 1692 Massachusetts, reflecting anxieties in Puritan society.

Predestination

The Calvinist belief that God has predetermined who will be saved and who will be damned.

Timber, Furs, Fish

The main economic outputs of the New England colonies, as opposed to cash crops like tobacco.

Tobacco Boom

A period in the 1620s when tobacco became a highly lucrative cash crop for the Chesapeake colonies.

Legislative Assembly

The governing body of a colony, typically organized into elected representatives.

Glorious Revolution

The event in 1688 that resulted in the overthrow of King James II, impacting colonial governance.

Slavery in the Colonies

The institution that became widespread in the colonies, involving the forced labor of African people.